One-on-one instruction at hoop skills camp

For the last 15 years, Jennifer Winter has held the Girls Basketball Offensive Shooting and Skills Camp that focuses on shooting, dribbling, fast break skills and other offensive concepts to girls in fifth through eighth grades.

Winter, an assistant coach for the El Dorado High School varsity girls basketball team who played in the program toward the end of the 1980s, found plenty of positives for this summer’s camp despite a small turnout.

“The kids who are here get their money’s worth because they get a lot of hands-on, one-on-one,” said Winter, a 1990 El Dorado High graduate. “A lot of the kids may have decided to take the summer off. It’s so hit and miss with summer time; we hit the vacations.”

In summer’s past, Winter said she usually has 15 or more girls taking part in her camps.

One of the main drills the girls worked on was ball handling.

“Ball handling makes (playing the game) better,” Winter said. “See your teammates open.”

One particular drill worked on this hot summer day inside El Dorado High’s small gym was bringing the ball up the court: the pausing and continue to dribble the ball at the same time. That’s important for the kids who are starting off learning the game of basketball, Winter said.

During the camp, the girls learned how to move the ball up and down with cuts and side-to-side, fake moves, lay-ups and moving the ball inside or outside to throw the opponent off guard plus screen and rolls.

Defense was not taught at this camp, but with good reason, Winter states. Defense is stressed in most camps she holds during the school year.

“Defense is an easy thing to teach,” Winter said. “Stopping and making the move and keep going instead of continuing it. Then we add  (additional variations) to it.”

Working on lay-ups was another drill the players, including Winter’s three daughters Skyler, Jonna and Ashlyn, learned on this particular day.

“A lot of points are scored around the hoop,” Winter said. “We train for them to get this stuff; it’s going to help them be more successful and gain confidence. We try to emphasis that first, and then go to the harder stuff. We like them to get some confidence that will help them with their game.”

Winter, whose husband Pat is the El Dorado High girls varsity coach, has held many basketball camps throughout the years that teaches girls from fifth grade to high school players.

“I have a lot of kids in the county who do our spring program that’s really intensive,” she said.

Contact Mike Bush at 530-344-5079 or mbush@mtdemocrat.net. Follow @MBushMtDemo on Twitter. 

Mike Bush

Mike Bush has been working at the Mountain Democrat since August 2011. Mike is the Sports Writer and Features Writer.

View all my stories Email Me MBushMtDemo